Epidemiologic evaluation of dental and periodontal disorders in a sample of children active in sports

Abstract BACKGROUND: Caries and paradontal diseases occupy an important position among the various diseases of the organism. The spread of these pathologies entails consequences of an aesthetic, functional and economic nature. The aim of this study was to evaluate the oral health conditions of an age-matched and sex-matched sample population with a uniform socioeconomic background all of whom played sports. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The age groups taken into consideration are those specified by the WHO: 8-9 years old and 12-13 years old. A total of 684 children were examined within the framework of medical checkups for fitness to play sports. The epidemiological indices specified by the WHO were used to assess oral health conditions: dmf-t; DMF-T; plaque index (PLI) and paradontal index of need for paradontal treatment in community (CPITN). RESULTS: By comparing the results of this study with the targets set by the WHO for the year 2000 and with those of other studies it was seen that higher values were recorded. CONCLUSIONS: This discrepancy may probably be correlated to the marked consumption of super-calorific substances during the day by children playing sports.